# Dry cigars at the bottom.



## rizzjustrizz (Jun 19, 2011)

Hi there everybody,


I've been having trouble with dry cigars at the bottom of my humidor.

I'm not sure whey this is happening, even though the top ones got soggy a bit when I added more hudification.

I got 45 Punch rothchilds stacked on top of each other; about 10 per row; and the lower ones keep getting dry. I do a pinch test and I hear it cracking. then I rotate the cigars.

I placed the crystals (in a cup) close to the stack and still nothing. 

Is it because they are stacked?

Let me know what you think guys.

Reza.


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## saucy_jack (Aug 7, 2011)

I don't have that problem. I move mine around a lot. I think it's just a question of the cigars on top or on either side absorbing all the humidity before it can get to the bottom cigars or the ones furthest away from the humidifying agent.


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## Sharpshooter (Oct 9, 2011)

Jack hit it on the head.... the humidity is being absorbed by the sticks exposed to more air, like on the top.

You may also want to try an old wood drying trick.... when drying stacks of lumber in a kiln, each layer is separated by what they call a "sticker", simply a narrow board placed crosswise to the stack to allow air movement between the boards to allow all of them to dry evenly.

The humidor is doing the same thing, only in reverse; adding moisture at a controlled rate. 

I'm thinking of something like a Popsicle stick between layers to get air to the lower ones. If it works... we may have just invented a new product: Cedar Humidor Stickers.

Reid


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## Herf N Turf (Dec 31, 2008)

In all likelihood, it's your humidor. Most budget humidors have extremely thin floors. As moist air naturally rises, the moisture is sucked out of the floor and accumulates in the top, making the upper cigars more moist. Compounding this, a thin floor will lose moisture through the bottom, even though there's a thin layer of adhesive, typically holding a layer of felt, which works as a wick.

The only remedy for this is to place your humidification media on the floor (where it should be anyway) and as suggested, rotate the stock.

Since this is actually not a cigar issue, but more to do with your humidor, I'm gonna slide this over to Accessory Discussions. See ya there...

-moved-


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## StogieNinja (Jul 29, 2009)

I just had Forrest make me a vented "floor" for my Bally humis. I'm going to put Boveda backs on actual floor of the humi, then the vented floor on top of those. Then cigars on top of that. Hopefully, as the humidity rises to the top, it'll help keep thing evenly humidified.


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## raylol16 (Aug 4, 2011)

Don't mean to thread jack but this kind of put a little worry in me. I have a coolerdor where I have 2 drymist tubes on the bottom and like 2 boveda packets at the top. Should I rearrange how I have my humidifiers so that it is distributed evenly?


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## Danfish98 (Jun 5, 2011)

raylol16 said:


> Don't mean to thread jack but this kind of put a little worry in me. I have a coolerdor where I have 2 drymist tubes on the bottom and like 2 boveda packets at the top. Should I rearrange how I have my humidifiers so that it is distributed evenly?


I would switch to kitty litter or beads. A coolerdor needs more humidification than a humidor and that doesn't sound like enough. Also beads/kitty litter holds much steadier humidity than drymistat tubes, I speak from experience.


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## raylol16 (Aug 4, 2011)

Danfish98 said:


> I would switch to kitty litter or beads. A coolerdor needs more humidification than a humidor and that doesn't sound like enough. Also beads/kitty litter holds much steadier humidity than drymistat tubes, I speak from experience.


My coolerdor is usually showing 68-70 depending on how often I open it. Is this something I should not take seriously and go straight to the KL?


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## asmartbull (Aug 16, 2009)

raylol16 said:


> Don't mean to thread jack but this kind of put a little worry in me. I have a coolerdor where I have 2 drymist tubes on the bottom and like 2 boveda packets at the top. Should I rearrange how I have my humidifiers so that it is distributed evenly?


Ray
I too have coolers
I keep DRY beads/KL on top
Seasoned beads/KL on the bottom
Let nature work for you.
A small fan helps, but isn't necessary..


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## rizzjustrizz (Jun 19, 2011)

Herf N Turf said:


> In all likelihood, it's your humidor. Most budget humidors have extremely thin floors. As moist air naturally rises, the moisture is sucked out of the floor and accumulates in the top, making the upper cigars more moist. Compounding this, a thin floor will lose moisture through the bottom, even though there's a thin layer of adhesive, typically holding a layer of felt, which works as a wick.
> 
> The only remedy for this is to place your humidification media on the floor (where it should be anyway) and as suggested, rotate the stock.
> 
> ...


Thanks Don. I kinda thought it could be that I needed to circulate the air in the humidor. My humidors are placed under the coffee table which is about 1.2X 1.2m. where no sunlight touches it. However my room is a bit dry at 30-35% RH. And may be that is what is sucking the humidity out the humidors.

One of the humidors has a glass top. With which the dry cigars occur.

Well, now that I understand why they are dry I actually have no solution :dunno:

Maybe get a piece of wood, soak it in distilled water and place it under my Humidor. Drastic but what do you think?

Or how about I use cellophane and or shrink wrap the bottom/lower half of the humidor?

Would any of those help? if not, Any suggestions?

Reza


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## StogieNinja (Jul 29, 2009)

Its unlikely you'd get the desired result from either of those options. THe cellophane/shrinkwrap wouldn't seal the right way, and the wet wood would a)damage whatever you put it on, and b)damage the humidor sitting on top.

The problem is now that the humidity generally stays wherever you have it, and rises from there. What little moisture is at the bottom right now is being sucked away. You need to find a way to put the humidity source below the bottom sticks. The humidity will rise and ensure all your sticks are exposed to the humidity.

Find some way to put a "false" floor in the bottom of your humidor with KL or Boveda packs underneath. Maybe just a thin sheet of spanish cedar with holes drilled in it. Sticks go on top of that, so that the humidity rises and keeps the sticks at the right rH.


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## Herf N Turf (Dec 31, 2008)

Like Derek said, ain't gonna work.

Try this.

30-35% is pretty darn low for constant ambient humidity and way too low for good success with even a fine quality wooden humidor. Wood, no matter how well sealed, is always going to breathe and yours is breathing in a desert. Also, glass top humidors, while pretty, are notorious for springing leaks, simply because glass is far more static than wood. The wood moves, the glass doesn't; leaks. Another wonderful thing about glass humidors is they're nearly impossible to test for said leaks. Only the dicey-at-best whoosh test works and isn't terribly reliable.

I fear no matter what you do; sheet on the bottom along with media, rotation, ensuring your seals, with that kind of humidity, you're going to be charging very, very frequently.

Start thinking alternatives. A wineador, or a plastic cooler would be right up your ally for conditions like that.


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## rizzjustrizz (Jun 19, 2011)

Thank you Don and Derek for your suggestions and thoughts.

I guess I'll do a couple of things. 

a- try to make a false floor and put either hearfelt humidity sheet or thin layer of Kitty litter.

and 

b- Buy a humidification device for the room. May be then I'll stop drinking about 3-4 liters of water a day! 

Thanks again for your time guys. Much appreciated. 

Reza


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## Herf N Turf (Dec 31, 2008)

Reza (I have a Persian friend named Reza ),

I'm 99% certain that there's a thin laminate over the media of the Heartfelt sheets, so you should be able to lay cigars directly on top of it. Best to double check me on this since 75% of my statistics are made up 83% of the time. 

Don't stop drinking that water! Smoking cigars dehydrates you and we don't absorb water through our skin.


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## David_ESM (May 11, 2011)

Aninjaforallseasons said:


> I just had Forrest make me a vented "floor" for my Bally humis. I'm going to put Boveda backs on actual floor of the humi, then the vented floor on top of those. Then cigars on top of that. Hopefully, as the humidity rises to the top, it'll help keep thing evenly humidified.


I saw those plans. Fantastic idea.


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## aroma (Apr 12, 2010)

I made humidity grates for my cheap wood humidors, on the theory that you could then overkill them with beads and get around the fact that they don't hold RH well. Alas, that attempt ended in failure, when ambient RH plummeted in the winter. You can read about it here:

Humidor Theory
Humidor Theory Part 2

My overall conclusion is: use a tupperdor, coolerdor, wineador, or a wood humidor with thick walls *and floor* and a good seal (which generally means spending $2 to $5 per stick).


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## rizzjustrizz (Jun 19, 2011)

Herf N Turf said:


> Reza (I have a Persian friend named Reza ),
> 
> I'm 99% certain that there's a thin laminate over the media of the Heartfelt sheets, so you should be able to lay cigars directly on top of it. Best to double check me on this since 75% of my statistics are made up 83% of the time.
> 
> Don't stop drinking that water! Smoking cigars dehydrates you and we don't absorb water through our skin.


hahahahah. Love the statistics comment! Will be borrowing it from you Don :biggrin:

Oh yes, I am Persian by blood. However my family has been here in bahrain for over 4 generations and it is because there were no proper borders back then and ppl moved from one place to another.

If I ever fly to the states I'll let you know and we can meet up for a smoke


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## Herf N Turf (Dec 31, 2008)

Funny, my Reza told me when I asked him why he came here, "Well my family is Persian and one day my father woke up and said, 'shit, I'm Iranian!' So, we left."

The dude's unbelievable funny.


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## rizzjustrizz (Jun 19, 2011)

Herf N Turf said:


> Funny, my Reza told me when I asked him why he came here, "Well my family is Persian and one day my father woke up and said, 'shit, I'm Iranian!' So, we left."
> 
> The dude's unbelievable funny.


hahahahahaa.. Nice one!!! May be that's what happened with my great grandfather. But unfortunately he didn't travel far enough! Kinda skimped on the tickets and landed on a desert island! LOL


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